Ross and Thorne
by Allons-yalatardis17
Summary: Nolan finally admits his feelings for Emily. But how will she respond? (I wrote this because the internet seems to be sadly lacking in Nolan/Emily fanfics)
1. Chapter 1

It had been two weeks since the momentous downfall of the Graysons, and so far things were all quiet on the Hampton front. Too quiet, as a matter of fact. The ease of it all was driving Emily crazy with suspicion. She'd been keeping tabs on Victoria from a distance, but as far as she could tell the woman hadn't even _tried _to make a move against her. Not yet at least.

Regardless, Emily needed to keep up appearances. Tonight would be the first time that the names Victoria, Conrad and Daniel Grayson didn't appear on the guestlist for one of the seasons' major events, and she was sure as hell going to be there to mark the occasion. It was another charity gala, and frankly, if it weren't for the free champagne and continual excuse to play dress up, Emily would've gone mad with the monotonous superficiality of it all. Every event in the Hamptons gave her an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.

Having decided on a pale blue evening gown- something much more delicate than her usual attire- Emily admires herself in the mirror.

"Mmm," Nolan purrs playfully, leaning against the doorframe. "Is your name Elsa because you are rockin' the ice queen vibe with that dress hun."

"Shut up Nolan."

"Ooooh," he hisses, feigning offence at her coldness. "I rest my case."

"What are you doing here?"

"I was on my way and thought I'd give you a _ride_?" he replies, thinking it was obvious.

"I told you I'd meet you there," Emily says sternly, pushing past him to get to her jewelery.

Rolling his eyes, he mocks her ungratefulness. "_'Thanks Nolan, how thoughtful. I'm so lucky to have a wing-man as dapper as you are in that suit,'_" he narrates in a self-satisfied, high-pitched voice. She doesn't respond.

"Here's a _crazy_ idea," Nolan throws out lightly. "Since I'm _already_ here, what if we went _together_? Come on Ems, _be my date,_" he whines sportively.

"Nice try, Nolan," she says passively, continuing to get ready. She was barely listening, let alone considering his comment. Nolan however, is particularly sensitive to her dismissive attitude this evening.

"I see..." he muses, watching her put in her earrings. "You once _married_ a man just to spite his family, and yet even _pretending_ to grace my arm for an evening would somehow be crossing a line?"

"What?" Emily asks, confused as to why he was still dwelling on the subject. "Where is this coming from Nolan?" Though, to be honest, she was eager to get off the subject.

"Straight from the genius's mouth, that's where," he replies snarkily. "I _run_ this show Ems. Is it too much to ask that I get to step on stage and share the limelight every now and then?"

Surprised by his out-lash, Emily is unsure how to respond. "Okay fine, you can be my escort," she agrees. "Happy?"

"_Appeased_ would be a more appropriate word," Nolan replies with a forced smile.

* * *

><p><em>(to be continued...)<em>


	2. Chapter 2

_Later that evening..._

* * *

><p>Emily sips her drink and Nolan catches her looking sideways again.<p>

"Take a night off Ems, you've gotta relax," he encourages.

The music changes to something resembling a waltz. Nolan sets down his glass and holds out a hand. "Shall we?"

"Do we have to?"

He rolls his eyes at Emily's usual lack of enthusiasm for anything unrelated to revenge. "Yes," he retorts, refusing to let her disinterest put a damper on his evening. He grabs her hand and leads the way to the center of the ballroom. They hadn't danced since her mock wedding to Daniel, and Emily couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she notices that something is different about Nolan this evening. He seems oddly... authoritative. Normally she wouldn't stand for it, but without even a hint of revenge-related activity set for the foreseeable future, it was kind of nice to let him take the reins.

There's something else though. As they dance, something just feels _off_ in the way he's holding her. Perhaps she's over-thinking things, but Emily is suddenly very eager to escape his arms. Nolan, however, is thinking quite the opposite. With no agenda to distract him, he admires Emily in ways he'd previously denied himself. The way her skin glows lightly under the chandelier, the way gravity pulls on her golden curls of hair... She is positively radiant.

Realizing he's staring, Nolan half-smiles and looks away, instinctively pulling her closer into him. Emily is relieved when the music finally comes to an end.

"Well, that was something," she says forcibly.

"_Un_believable," Nolan retorts. "You can't relax for two minutes."

"I'm relaxed. Who says I'm not relaxed?"

"Bartender, this woman needs a drink- _and_ _an_ _intervention_," Nolan adds under his breath. Emily lets it go, not wanting to make a scene, but she resents his comment.

The remainder of the evening plays out in a similar fashion- straight to the point of Nolan taking Emily home. Without invitation, he follows her inside. She immediately fills up a glass of water and pops an aspirin in her mouth, feeling a headache coming on.

"That party could've done with less formality and more _flair_," Nolan critiques. "Perhaps it's time for me to host another soirée."

"Oh God," Emily responds somewhat jokingly. "And what would yours include? Flash mob? Puppy petting zoo?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of 'pin the horns on the devil' AKA Victoria Grayson. If you've taught me anything it's that nothing brings people together like mutual hatred- but now that you mention the puppies..."

Emily laughs, genuinely, for the first time in a long while. Maybe it was just the tipsy stupor of the party talking, but she really did enjoy having Nolan around.

"Alright, I should probably get going," he says, stepping forward to give Emily a hug. "Thanks for coming with me tonight."

"Of course."

Nolan turns to leave and begins fumbling for his phone.

"Hey Ems, have you seen my-" he stops short as she holds it up with a smirk. "Thinking of calling all the local animal shelters and asking if you can borrow every golden retriever within a fifty-mile radius?" she asks accusingly.

"Okay, first of all, I'm more of a sheepdog man, myself," Nolan informs her matter-of-factly. "And secondly, the puppy petting zoo was _your_ idea, but could you really blame me for following through? I mean just imagine sitting by my pool, sipping a glass of Pinot while a hundred little balls of fluff waddle around at your feet..."

Emily shakes her head in amused disbelief. "How do I put up with you?"

Nolan snatches the phone from her hand dramatically. "You know, I often wonder the same," he posits playfully.

As the two become distinctly aware of their proximity, the lightness of the moment suddenly disappears. Nolan's expression changes, the contemplation now evident upon his face. Emily feels the weight of his eyes upon her like never before. Her body goes cold and her breath hitches as his thumb lightly strokes the side of her face. Before she can even decide whether or not to protest, he places his lips upon hers. Emily freezes anxiously, but doesn't resist. Nolan takes this as a good sign and closes the space between them, one hand falling gently upon her hip, the other weaving into her hair. Heart pounding, Emily parts her lips and begins to respond. The uncertain spark between them quickly evolves into a flame- a desire which Emily didn't realize had existed until it had been ignited. She pulls him into her and they stumble a couple of steps backwards until hitting a wall.

"Ems," Nolan exhales needily, his voice a mixture of relief and inquiry, as if begging for permission to continue.


	3. Chapter 3

Emily wakes slowly, the morning light streaming in through the sheer curtains of her bedroom and piercing her eyes as she attempts to orient herself. The memories of last night come flooding back all at once. _She and Nolan_.

_His lips on her neck… his fingers clutching her waist… their bodies entwined..._

It seems unreal. In fact, Emily feels suddenly inclined to verify that it wasn't a dream. Glancing carefully over her shoulder, she spies the lump of comforter under which Nolan must still be sleeping. Without looking back, she slides silently out of bed, slips into a light robe and heads downstairs.

"Morning, sunshine..." greets an all too familiar voice. Spunky and husky and definitely Nolan.

"Oh my god, Nolan!" Emily exclaims, completely taken aback by his unexpected presence. "I thought- I thought you were still asleep."

"Yeah, that was the idea…" he admits tormentingly, clearly having rigged the bedding with a pillow in his place.

Emily rolls her eyes, not yet awake enough to deal with Nolan Ross and his games. _Although he obviously hasn't been up long either_, she thinks to herself, judging by his unusually tousled hair. _Hair that her fingers were yearning to brush through… _

Immediately unsettled by that train of thought, Emily snaps back to reality.

"So, sneaking out of your own house? That's low even for you, Ems," Nolan criticizes as he casually sips his morning coffee.

"I wasn't sneaking out," she counters defensively, "I was just-"

"Avoiding me?" Nolan suggests, lips pursed.

Overwhelmed by both his persistence and pin-point accuracy, Emily rubs her forehead in distress. "I need some air," she states in desperate search for an excuse to escape Nolan's all-too-keen eye.

"Hey," he protests, grabbing her arm abruptly as she tries to leave. "I know it's early, and I can't say I'm surprised that you want to ignore what just happened between us, but this isn't a solo mission _princess_. You don't get to sort things out on your own and relay the conclusions to me. We're in this together."

Emily sighs deeply, yanking her arm out of his grasp.

"Look, we both know there's something going on here," Nolan says plainly, stepping towards her. He leans in and places a chaste kiss on her mouth, but Emily is deliberately unresponsive. As he pulls away, she avoids his eyes.

"Or not..." Nolan muses, trying to mask his complete and utter disappointment.

Unsure of how to deal with the awkwardness looming in the air, Emily resumes her previous intention of getting some fresh air. And with any luck, a fresh perspective. She turns to leave.

"Ems, if you walk out that door, I swear... _we're done_," Nolan threatens, tired and hurt.

Emily didn't know what she had expected him to say, but that certainly wasn't it. Her heart pounds nervously at the thought of losing him. "_What_? Nolan, don't be ridiculous-"

"I-" he swallows, trying to find his words. "I have loved you through _all _of this," he admits, firm but breathless. "And if that love is still one sided- even after last night- then _fine_. I can find a way to live with it. What I _can't _do is stand by knowing that you've completely lost yourself to this vendetta."

"I have not-"

Nolan holds up a hand. "I am your _closest _friend and all I'm asking is for you to be straight with me, Ems! Look at yourself! You're isolated from the world. You don't know how to interact with people anymore."

Emily just stares at him in wide-eyed silence, knowing that, as usual, he's right.

"This isn't what your father would've wanted for you, and if it takes me _leaving_ for you to realize that, then I'll do what I have to do."

"Nolan..." Emily protests sympathetically, knowing that whatever came out of her mouth next would potentially redefine their relationship.

"You're right," she admits, swallowing her pride. "About everything. You see me- you've _always _seen me- in ways that Daniel and even Aiden couldn't. And that scares the _hell _out of me."

Nolan's expression softens, touched by her sincerity. "Why?" he asks curiously, stepping forward and gently taking her hands in his own.

Avoiding his eyes, Emily fights to keep her tears at bay. "Because you know me better than I know myself, Nolan…" She takes a deep, audible breath before falling to pieces. "And I envy that. Because I haven't been able to see or feel anything clearly in a long time... Until now."

"Oh Ems, com'ere." Nolan takes her into a hug and holds her head against his chest. They stay like that for a few minutes, just rocking back and forth in one another's arms.

"I love you Nolan," Emily eventually admits in a whisper.

"I know, babe," he kisses her forehead. "I know."


End file.
